Taylor Swift's "London Boy" Sparks Discussion Among London Residents

Taylor Swift’s seventh studio album, Lover, is finally here. Upon its release on Friday, August 23, fans immediately descended upon the 18 (!!) tracks to memorize the lyrics and dissect the words for easter eggs, particularly scouting hints that might reference Taylor’s beau, Joe Alwyn (of which there are many).

“London Boy” is perhaps the song most overtly written about Joe, a British actor with whom Taylor spent plenty of time in London. And while some Swifties have been busy trying to learn more about their mostly private relationship, fans who actually reside in London have some pretty strong thoughts about the lyrics.

Both the chorus and the verses of “London Boy” name specific places and activities in London, such as when Taylor sings “I enjoy walking Camden Market in the afternoon” or “Took me back to Highgate, met all of his best mates.” But according to IRL Londoners, her references are raising some ~serious~ questions.

“No one enjoys walking Camden Market in the afternoon,” digital strategist Sharon O’Dea wrote on Twitter, noting that she has “some concerns” about Taylor’s London experience. “Friends don’t make friends go to to the West End.”

Writer Jessica Bateman tweeted: “Any guy who enjoys walking through Camden market and introduces you to his mates at a pub in Highgate where they're watching the rugby is a MONSTER!!!!!” while another fan hopes that “no one is tempted to visit Highgate by the new Taylor Swift song.” Welp.

Other people weighed in on the topic by offering alternate lyrics with seemingly more realistic day-to-day activities.

One Twitter user even decided to figure out the time it would take Taylor to travel to all of the places she mentions in the song, concluding that it would be a whopping 5 hours and 15 minutes. I’m tired just thinking about it!

We’ll have to wait and see if Taylor offers any further explanation behind her London journey; in the mean time, I’ll be listening to Lover on repeat and trying to memorize every word by the end of the weekend. Cheers!